Final answer:
The Jews decided to establish a state in Israel primarily because of the United Nations' resolution in 1947 to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, which was declared after the British government handed over the mandate of Palestine to the UN.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Jews decided to reestablish their nation in Israel largely due to the United Nations' resolution in 1947. This resolution followed a series of events including the horrors of the Holocaust, the issuance of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 which supported the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, and the resulting tensions and violence between Jewish settlers and Arab residents.
The UN plan to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem being internationalized, was intended to be a fair compromise but was rejected by Arab states, leading to the Israeli Declaration of Independence and subsequent war.
The United Nations' Resolution and the Creation of Israel
In 1947, the British turned over the mandate of Palestine to the newly-formed United Nations, which proposed a partition plan for Palestine. The Holocaust had underscored the Zionist argument that Jews needed a safe homeland.
Britain, hesitant to allow more Jewish refugees into Palestine due to Arab opposition, passed the responsibility to the UN, which voted for partitioning Palestine. On May 14, 1948, following the British withdrawal, Israel declared independence based on the UN recommended borders, which started the first Arab-Israeli war.